The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-11
TIE OPIUM HABIT.
AN INTERESTING STORY BY ONE
OF ITS VICTIMS.

riety-Tom Ochiltree's Bright Sayings
Points About Other Famous New
York Men.
New York. Sept. 1O.-There are drug
stores on lower Broadway which do big
business, and especially with weary or
debilitated men who call at late hours to
get something to buoy them up. A ply
stefan is regularly employed in them to
prescribe for people The places are open
every hour of the year
One evening several weeks ago a young
man, apparently about 80 years old, visited
one of these stores, cautiously approached
the prescription counter and called for 1Oc.
worth of gum opium. He was short and
of full habit, but his pallid face and trem-
bling limbs indicated that he was far from
healthy. The clerk refused to sell him the
drug. The young man took silver kox
from his pocket, opened it and showed the
clerk lump of brown stuff about as large
as chestnut 1t was gum opium. you see
am used to taking it, said the young man,
ssbut am pretty near out of it, and must
have some more The clerk still declined
to sell the desired article, saying: You
have enough there to kill three men.
Throw it away and stop taking it.
''I'd give worlds if | could, said the
Young man as he arose and YEARLY walked
out of the store His eyes were CLASSY and
he walked like one in a dream. The days
and weeks went by and the young man,
emaciated and weak but with clear eyes,
entered the same drug store, and, recogniz-
ing the clerk who had refused to sell him
OPIUM he shook hands with him and said:
~ thank you for doing Inc the greatest
kindness of lifetime when you declined to
sell me any more of the drug. | went home
and resolved to stop taking 1t. l had been
a slave to it for ten years. 1t was good
resolve, but it took nerve TO carry it out "
90! ell me your experience" said the clerk,
as he took seat beside the young man,
The latter who kept nervously moving his
hands and feet as he talked, recited his
story of his struggle as follows: Il have
read De Quincy's Confessions of an Opium
Eater" but never perused the history of
a case like mine Ten years ago l suffered
a severe attack of sickness. When became
convalescent was in such a condition that
my family physician had to give me several
different prescriptions to buoy me up. None
of them seemed to do me any good Finally
he prescribed what proved to be brownish,
bitter solution. 1t afforded me instant
relief Before the medicine was gone | was
called to Chicago on business. | asked the
doctor to give me a prescription for the
medicine to take West with me, but he
refused to do So
81 was surprised, but | Indignantly left
him and took what remained of the medi-
cine with me to Chicago. Once there |
went to drug store, showed the druggist
the contents of the bottle and askt him If
he could discover the nature of the medicine
and put me up some more of 1t. He smelled
and tasted of it and asked me how long |
had been taking it. He looked very serious
when told him, and then he said You
evidently do not know what you have been
taking The main ingredient is opium,
and you have apparently become victim
to the terrible habit of taking the drug II
the druggist had felled me with a club |
would not have been more surprised. |
went home and resolved to without the
medicine All the symptoms of the disease
which it had been given to correct eturned.
and I suffered the fortunes of the damned,
yawned constantly and was unable to
sleep. Finally / went to another druggist,
told him my condition and begged him to
sell me some opium. He did so. | took it,
and once more l was at peace with all the
world. | increased the dose until the effects
of it made my ears feel as if they were about
to burst. For five years | made no effort
TO throw off the terrible yoke of habit that
my physician had put about my neck. |
slept sparingly in feverish fits aud | ate
heartily, but grew more weak every day. |
never shall be able to describe the awful
dreams that haunted me during the night.
The hallucination got place in my mind
that the habit to which was victim was a
great snake coiled about my body and
constantly tightening its folds / would
dream that the head of the monster was
darting back and forth before my face, and
awake with a scream. The drug began to
tell on the action of the heart until felt a
sense of compression about the chest. |
could not relieve myself of the idea that this
pressure was due to the clammy embrace of
the snake. One night ! awoke from my
8orrid dream to find myself apparently
dying. My heart was beating at a terrific
rate, cold sweat 'ood out over my face and
was in precarious condition. | took a
great dose of the drug, but was unable to
retain it. ] was like dismantled and rudder
less ship at sea in gale. | called a doctor,
gave him the history of my case, and begged
him to relieve me. He gave me some
aconite for my heart and some big valerian
pills for my nerves They had not the
slightest effect on me. My heart beat faster
and faster The big snake was Tightening
its embrace. Finally the doctor barred my
arm and injected solution of morphine
into my veins. 1t brought relief, and in a
week | was able to feebly walk about, but
was obliged to increase nv allowance of
opium to keep body and soul together
"Then my case assumed new phase. One
night / awoke from my fearful dream about
the snake with a fiuttering of the heart The
organ palpitated at intervals of five minutes
End sent for the doctor. He told me that
Unjust cease taking the drug or die. Hegave
me bromide of potassium to quiet my
nerves, but it had no effect beyond making
me feel as if were going mad. | slyly re-
turned to the use of the drug. ! kept the
silver box containing it at my BEDSIDE One
night awoke and reached for the box The
Nurse had taken 1t away. No one was awake
IN the house. Instantly my heart began to
beatsviolently and | was all of tremble |
felt as if | should smother. The snake had
frightened its folds once more and death
seemed imminent. The shipwrecked man
on a raft at sea without food or water does
not experience more agony than did when
] found myself without the drug, ] called
loudly for help, the nurse came, and l
begged him to get me the opium He had
thrown it away. No drug store was open
at that hour of night, and, as a last resort, /
searched my pockets for crumb of the drug.
j found morsel, took it greedily, and
managed TO exist until morning, when the
attendant got me some of the stuff from
drug store. / rallied and eked out an exist
ence for three or four years, but it was an
awful existence. | had tried to keep secret
the fact of my misfortune, but it seemed as
If everybody had heard of il, for circulars
advertising cures for the opiom habit came
pouring in on me from all over the country
al A l.. 4 Il